Carla Valentine

Carla Valentine Instagram – The Carlaween Halloween Countdown is nearly over! This one is not strictly human remains but a pathological condition which may explain the vampire legend:
Hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia is a rare condition which affects 1 in 17,000 people worldwide. It’s genetic, characterized by a reduced ability to sweat (hypohidrosis) and fine sparse hair. Individuals affected by HED share a similar facial appearance with thin, dark skin beneath the eye, a depressed “saddle” nose, small narrow jaw, and small pointed teeth like in the above pictures. Some sufferers also have an intense heat intolerance. Newborns may have dark circles around their eyes because that skin is thin and the underlying blood vessels create a bluish shadow. The skin also may appear to be “peeling” at birth. Infants may not be able to tolerate heat and may be irritable in warm environments. More often, the diagnosis is not made until the teeth do not erupt at the expected age or the teeth appear to be pointed when they do erupt.
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It’s easy to see how perhaps, many years before this condition was understood by the general populace, people exhibiting these characteristics could have been called “Vampires”. I’m going to be optimistic and assume that sort of intolerance doesn’t exist anymore, but it’s an interesting way to look at possible original stories of vampires. (Another, of course, is people being buried alive and scratching their coffin lids til their fingers bleed, eating their own tongues etc. On reopening you can imagine what the local villagers might think..!) Listen to the latest episode of @hardcorelisting for more ‘medical monster’ tales…
#carlaween #monstermonday #anatomy #pathology #vampire #vampires #halloween #pathassistant #pathologytechnician #halloweencountdown #carlaweencountdown #carlaween | Posted on 31/Oct/2023 20:10:00